The night before the draft, Brusky paced about his small, one bedroom apartment. He knew his life was about to change, but yet he had no idea how. He had been contacted by multiple GMs in the days leading up until the draft and many of them expressed their high interest in taking him early. This was a shock to Brusky, who was coming off a serious leg injury and had no previous experience within the SHL. The only chance he had to prove to the league what he was capable of was during the SMJHL Prospect Showcase, in which he notched 1 goal and 7 assists during the 20 game showcase. His team had a strong showing during the round robin, but ultimately fell short by losing in 2 games to the Blazers during the semi-finals. Was that performance going to be enough to impress the scouts enough so that they'd consider taking him in the first round? He had his doubts.

It was a restless night for Brusky, and he awoke still thinking about the draft and his future. The rumors had begun swirling that morning about where Brusky might go in the draft. Word on the street was that he was high on the board for the Halifax Raiders, who held the #3 and the #16 picks in the first two rounds of the draft. Was he really good enough for Halifax to take a risk on him at #3? Could Halifax trade down to pick up a later draft pick and still get snag him, or would the risk be too great? Brusky began to wonder if he was even up to the task of living in Canada.. More rumors circled with the Colorado Raptors, another team who had Brusky high on their board. Colorado had the #2, #11, #12, and #20 picks within the first two rounds. Again, #2 seemed a bit high for the kid. But would he actually fall to the second round and still be available for Colorado? Many mock drafts had him going in the first round, so this seemed unlikely. Contact had also been made with members from the Vancouver, St. Louis, and Anchorage staff. Would those be potential landing spots for the young defender?

As the draft neared and was scheduled to start in only a few hours, Brusky donned his best attire for the draft party. On went his lucky red button down dress shirt, followed by his best black tie. Next came the neatly ironed black dress pants and a pair of recently polished black oxfords. Lastly, he grabbed his only sports coat and stared at himself in the mirror as he put his arms through the sleeves. He couldn't believe the man he was looking at. He was really about to be drafted into the SMJHL.

A small gathering was held at the home of Brusky's parents for himself, close family and friends to attend and watch the draft with. His mother had made spaghetti and meatballs with homemade garlic bread for him, his favorite meal. Only minutes before the draft, rumor had started circulating again that now it was almost certain that Brusky would be going to Colorado with one of their first two picks in the second round. The thought of playing in Colorado was a fascinating one, and one that he could see himself enjoying. He had never been to Colorado before, but loved the movie Dumb and Dumber and the Colorado scenery within the movie. He wondered if the team had any policies against marijuana, since it was legal in the state. He had all but settled in to the fact that he would for sure be going to Colorado in the second round.

The draft began, and the first names started coming off the board - Noah Andros, Derek Bohne, the kid they call "Cody". Brusky, knowing that he wouldn't hear his name called anytime soon decided to get up and go to the bathroom. He had gotten Taco Bell earlier in the day and was beginning to regret that decision, but as always would return to Taco Bell again because the trips to the bathroom are worth it. While he was gone, a few more names came off the board - Jagger Fouquette, Prince Devitt, Elijah Jones. Brusky arrived back to his seat in the living room right as Vancouver, one of the teams that had made contact with him earlier in the week, went on the clock. They ended up selecting Jan Zacha. Next up with pick number 8 in the first round came St. Louis. Brusky had been in contact with St. Louis as well earlier in the week. He knew they were interested in him, but still in his mind was expecting them to go with someone else with their first round selection. That's why when his name was announced on the TV, he let out an audible gasp.

The living room erupted into congratulatory cheers as Brusky was selected with the 8th overall pick by the St. Louis Scarecrows. The news came as a surprise to everyone, but was met with much delight to all. Being from Wisconsin, his family and friends would not be too far away from St. Louis and they'd be able to come visit and attend games every now and then. The St. Louis organization had sounded like a great fit for him based on initially conversations, and for that he was grateful to be selected by them.

With the SMJHL preseason not too far away, Brusky is to report to training camp within the upcoming days. He'll have a chance to pack his bags and say goodbye to his friends and family back home before heading out to St. Louis and meeting the guys in the locker room. The opportunity of a lifetime awaits him there as he hopes to build a strong bond with his new teammates, develop his playing ability to a new level, and bring the four star cup home back to where it belongs - in St. Louis. #crowsB4Hoes #fuckDetroit